AMOpportunities provides international medical students or graduates (IMGs) the opportunity to participate in US Clinical Experiences. Through four-week long rotations, IMGs are able to come to the United States and gain firsthand knowledge within a clinical setting to enrich their medical knowledge. AMOpportunities sat down with one of these IMGs, Fatima, to get her take on the US Clinical Experience she attended through AMO.

AMO: Where are you from?

IMG: I belong to a Pakistani family, but I was born and raised in Kuwait. I moved to Karachi, Pakistan for medical school.

AMO: Why did you decide to go on an AMOpportunities clinical experience?

IMG: It was a hands-on experience in a fairly large clinical setting. I also had accommodation in New Jersey, so it all fell in place.

AMO: How many clinical experiences with AMOpportunities have you completed?

IMG: This was my first one.

AMO: Where did you complete these/this experience?

IMG: JFK Medical Center, Edison, New Jersey.

AMO: What were/was these/this experience like?

IMG: It was a knowledgeable experience. I gained a lot of hands-on exposure and learned about how a U.S. residency training feels like. I also made amazing friends, and my attendings were inspiring. All my residents were IMGs. I had a lot of guidance regarding how to work towards my goals.

AMO: What was your favorite part of the experience?

IMG: Being a part of the stroke team and attending to stroke codes in the ER was one of the most thrilling parts of this rotation. It taught me a lot about how to act quick on your feet in cases of emergencies.

AMO: What was a downside to the experience?

IMG: Not being able to access the computers/journals/digital library and being moved from rotation to rotation was frustrating at times.

AMO: Can you talk a bit about your experience adjusting to life in America?

IMG: I didn’t have any problems adjusting to life in America. I would commute a total of 4 hours every day on the train to reach my hospital but even that didn’t phase me much. I felt that the people were very kind and accommodating. I had a lot of people appreciate me for following my dreams and goals. I feel like the U.S. has a perfect environment for those who dream big and work hard.

AMO: How has AMO helped you in your medical career?

IMG: It gave me a very good first experience. This elective gave me a perspective about exactly what it takes to match into a residency program of your choice.

AMO: What are your future plans?

IMG: I want to do my residency training in Neurology hopefully in a program that has cutting edge research programs.

Are you interested in having a clinical rotation experience like the one Fatima described? If so, click here to explore and apply to those offered by AMO!